In my last post, I ended with a question: Is open source an entirely good thing? What are negative sides? It felt like a blindspot in my own thinking, which I uncovered while talking to Ursula Lagger. After doing some quick research, the answer is more complicated than I thought.
From a purely economic standpoint, open source is great. A Harvard-backed study estimated its value at a staggering $8.8 trillion. It is the critical, often invisible, infrastructure upon which modern society runs. Companies and economies depend on it.
But there is another side to that coin: the human cost. The system thrives on volunteer effort, but it’s a system that is exhausting the people who create it. While the benefits of working on open source projects are great, like accelerated skill development, best practices in code architecture, testing and collaboration, maintainer burnout is an existential risk to the ecosystem. In a recent survey, approximately 60% of open-source maintainers had considered quitting. Maintainers face a constant flood of demands from users with limited resources, insufficient (or no) compensation, and an unfortunate amount of interaction with toxic communities.
And what about us, the designers? For us this is a largely invisible opportunity. While our skills are needed, poor user experience and interface design are common barriers to open-source adoption, designers are almost entirely absent from these communities. Only about 1-3% of contributors are designers. This is likely due to structural barriers: the lack of designer-friendly tools, unfamiliar version control systems, and a developer-centric culture that often undervalues design contributions. A blindspot for the ecosystem, missing out on crucial expertise that could make open-source tools more accessible and user-friendly for everyone.
So, where does this leave me? This exploration hasn’t diminished my desire to contribute, but it has profoundly reshaped my understanding of the world I’m trying to enter. My goal to create a “Designer’s Guide to Open Source” now feels more important than ever. It’s not just about showing designers how to change a button or improve a workflow. It’s about preparing them to enter a complex ecosystem with their eyes open. It’s about encouraging contribution, but also advocating for a future where open source is as sustainable for its people as it is for the economies that depend on it.
Accompanying Links
Harvard Business School: Revealing the Economic Power of Open Source Software: https://d3.harvard.edu/revealing-value-the-economic-power-of-open-source-software/
A report on Open Source Maintainer Burnout: https://mirandaheath.website/static/oss_burnout_report_mh_25.pdf
Burnout in Open Source: A Structural Problem: https://opensourcepledge.com/blog/burnout-in-open-source-a-structural-problem-we-can-fix-together
The Internet Is Being Protected By Two Guys Named Steve (The Atlantic): https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2014/04/the-internet-is-being-protected-by-two-guys-named-steve/360766/
Ai was used to formulate this blogpost (Gemini + WisprFlow) an support with Research (Perplexity)

